It was a bright sunny day judging from the little rays of light coming from the closed window. Birds chirped while a light breeze travelled over the roof of the Basilicom. Still despite this, Neptune was just waking up from a very nice dream which involved something about food and karaoke. The Goddess of Planeptune rubbed the last traces of sleep from her eyes before finally getting out of bed. For some reason she found it hard to move and breathe.
"Holy crap! Who are you and what are you doing in…my…room?" her startled yelp slowly turned into a faltering whisper as she came across her mirror, "Is that…me?"
Staring back at her with icy blue eyes was a young woman that looked like in her prime while wearing a pair of light purple pajamas which seemed to be four sizes smaller for her and looked as if they were about to burst at any given moment. Neptune looked at her hands in confusion and then back at the young woman standing inside the mirror. As air-headed as she was, it was obvious that the person there was indeed her yet not at the same time.
"Did I just transform in my sleep?" she asked herself, in a slightly deeper version of her original voice. She huffed for a moment before closing her eyes in concentration. After a few moments she broke her focus, staring in bewilderment at the mirror as she found out that she was still in her HDD form. The form of the Goddess of Planeptune, Purple Heart.
She crossed her arms under her modest chest while appearing to be deep in thought, "That's weird, I can't transform back. Ah! I know, maybe I should ask Nep Jr. she'll probably know what to do."
With a reassuring nod to herself in the mirror and clenching her fist, Neptune walked off towards her wardrobe for some spare clothes. Unfortunately the only ones that she found which could her was a purple sleeveless one piece dress which she received during her last Christmas celebration. Fond memories filled her heart as she gazed at it and deemed it suitable to be worn until this whole fiasco was solved. Maybe she could even tease Noire a bit despite her predicament.
She hurriedly wore her clothes and immediately made her way to her little sister's room, Nepgear. Neptune took one glance at the pink door with a cute little sign stuck on it before knocking on the door with a loud voice, calling to her sister.
"Hey, sissy? Yoohoo, Nepgear! Open up, I need to ask you something!"
A frown crept across her face. Nepgear didn't usually take this long to answer; much less open the door to greet her sister good morning.
"Alright here, Nep Jr. If you don't open this door at the count of three I'm going to bust it open~"
Still no response. Not even a sound was heard from within the room.
"One~" Neptune took a step backward and readied herself.
Again, there was no response.
"Two~" she put her arm in front of her and braced herself.
Still, no one came out.
"Three~!" with that, Neptune charged shoulder first against the door, bursting into Nepgear's room and unceremoniously landing in a heap. She quickly stood up as if she planned the whole thing and looked around. The room looked identical to hers save for the light blue paint decorated with white hearts unlike Neptune's room which was painted purple (for obvious reasons) and had bowls for designs.
It was a modest bedroom with a fluffy looking bed just beside the window. A blue desk with pink borders sat at the opposite side where a round oval mirror was placed on it. Neptune approached it with a curious expression and picked up an object on top of it. She flipped her sister's phone and turned it on.
"Okay… This is the phone IF gave sissy. Knowing Geary, she'd never leave this lying around," Planeptune's Goddess face began to show signs of worry for a moment. That is until she decided to snoop around her sister's mail inbox, "He he he, I wonder what kind of messages she's been chirping around~."
Much to her surprise only a 'no signal' message greeted her, as if the phone suddenly broke down. Neptune tinkered with the phone once more, turning it off and on again, only to receive the same message. She decided to toss the phone on the bed and pout. She suddenly transformed in her sleep, Nepgear's nowhere to be seen, and now the error message, it didn't take an idiot to know that something was going on.
Turning her attention to the door, the Goddess quickly went out and descended the flight of stairs, eventually making her way to the Oracle's quarters. Passing by countless of pillars, she finally made it to Histoire's study and frantically knocked on the door.
"Histy? Histy are you in there? Please tell me you're in there, NepJr.'s missing!" called the purple haired woman as she rattled on the door. Eventually, a sigh of relief escaped her as she got her response.
"Come in," replied a muffled voice from within and the doors immediately spread open. Neptune entered a circular library like study filled with pillars painted gold. It sure was a breath taking sight with the emerald green floor going well with the yellow shining back ground. Brown leather bound books sat on the shelves of the majestic library. Still, Neptune could care less what it looked like since she saw the place a million times already. Right now, her attention was on the person buried beneath a hill of books.
"Histy! Wh-what happened here?! Did jumpsuit ninjas attack?! Where's Nepgear? Did she do this? Did you feed her too much sugar again?! Oh my god, tell me you didn't—"
"Please, just help me out of here," pleaded the voice as a hand shot out of the pile and waved frantically for assistance. The purple Goddess took the tiny hand with both of her arms with one strong pull, successfully releasing a tiny fairy-like person from the mountain of books. A large open book soon followed suit where the fairy (?) promptly sat on it before speaking in a rather miffed tone, "Thank you Neptune, however if you were only a bit more speedy in..your… Purple Heart?"
"Hi!" greeted Neptune with a cheery wave, ignoring the fact that she was still in her HDD form.
"Why are you in your Goddess form?" said Histoire with a confused expression while asking the million credit question.
"I… don't know. Anyway, that's what I'm here for! I was wondering if you know something," replied the Planeptune's Goddess.
The personified tome hovered close to the CPU's face before flying around her, inspecting anything that may be odd, "Have you tried changing back?"
"I did, but something's stopping me. I got no heads or tails of what the heck is going on with me," Neptune responded with a pout while crossing her arms.
Histoire merely shook her head in amusement; she had never experienced seeing Purple Heart act as Neptune even though they were the same person. The transformed Neptune was more of an alter ego of her old self, much more confident and mature, seeing her like this was nothing short of funny. The tiny girl fluttered her wings while pinching Neptune's cheek, causing the Goddess to recoil in pain.
"Ouch! What did you do that for, you bully?!" asked the purple goddess while massaging her throbbing cheek.
"Have you ever considered testing if you were still asleep?" questioned Histoire, closing in to pinch Neptune once more, "Things like these happen all too often."
The CPU nervously backed away, "W-wait, hold on! I-I'm not asleep! I'm bright as a diamond and jumpy as a kangaroo on sugar rush, see?"
Unfortunately, Neptune's scared smile didn't work. That is until the personified tome started giggling, "Oh dear, oh dear. At times, it feels good teasing you."
"Geez, why are you acting so weird?" the Goddess held her arms around herself, "First I wake up being like this, then NepJr.'s gone missing; now you're acting all weird! I told you to stay away from the fridge!"
"Nepgear's missing?" at this, a look of worry flashed across Histoire's face before quickly dismissing it with a smile, "Well, she could be anywhere right now. Maybe taking a stroll or meeting up with a couple of friends."
"Yeah, maybe you're right," said Neptune while rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly, "Still, I don't think she'll go out without her phone."
"Hmm, maybe she left in a hurry and forgot it? Though I don't know any particular reason why she would do that," the personified tome then clapped her hands as an idea struck her, "Maybe she's with Uni. You do know how close those two are; maybe they're on a date! Why don't you go around town and ask if anyone's seen them."
I would if I could, but there's still the problem with my HDD form, thought Neptune, Ah, whatever, NepJr.'s more important. Guess I have to act as a good sister and check up on her.
"Alrighty! I'll go and find her. Be back later!" called Neptune with a wave of her hand before she ran out of the door, leaving Histoire behind shaking her head looking utterly bemused.
Planeptune, the Land of Purple progress. Compared to the smoky skies of Lastation, Planeptune had a cleaner atmosphere and livelier streets despite being the most advanced Landmass in Gamindustri. The buildings were tucked together, matching the landscape with their elegant designs. Sky scrapers and radio towers reached for the heavens while hovering vehicles bustled their way through the traffic of the busy town.
Everywhere one would look, there would be a Silhouette offering newspapers, a person calling for customers to come and eat in their shop, or a street performer juggling a knife, a cat, and a small blue hedgehog.
To say Neptune loved the place would be an understatement.
Right now, she was walking among the bustling crowds of her landmass. While she enjoyed not being flocked by fanatics all the time, she did note the strangeness of not being noticed. The people merely passed her by without even a second glance. Sure they would ignore her if she were in her human form, but not acknowledging her in her HDD form was really weird. She knew this since people close to her would refer to her as 'Embodiment of Strange'.
"Hmm, stranger and stranger. I wonder what's gotten into everyone," she muttered to herself as she navigated through the tide of Silhouettes. It was kind of annoying sometimes that the people you're ruling were nothing more than black masses with humanoid forms. Neptune pondered for a moment on what it was like being a character unimportant to the plot. There were a few exceptions though, IF and Compa were the prime examples along with Gust and Nisa.
She then clasped both of her hands at the side of her head and shook, "No, no, no! I can't let myself get distracted! Righty, gotta tail Nep Jr.'s scent and drag her back home. After that I'll have to ask someone else about a way to turn back to normal. Gotta go fast!"
That was when the purple CPU caught sight of her. It was a girl that wasn't a Silhouette.
Curious of this unfamiliar face, Neptune slowly approached the girl as if she was being drawn to her. The girl had a pale complexion which went beautifully with her long black hair which was tied into uneven twin tails, on side being shorter than the other. A black poncho with a star design covered her back while wearing a pair of thigh high black boots. The girl must have sensed Neptune's approach and immediately turned to face her. A white shirt and skirt with a buckled black belt completed the stranger's image.
She looked at Neptune with an emotionless gaze. Those piercing blue eyes seemed to bore hole in the CPU's soul.
Crowds of Silhouettes passed by ignoring the two as they continued staring at each other. Finally, Neptune did something surprising yet not entirely unexpected.
"Hi there! You lost or something?" she greeted with a light wave as if she were saying hi to an old friend.
The pale girl merely tilted her head in a questioning way, causing the Purple Goddess to rub the back of her neck, "Ah, sorry. I must've looked pretty weird. Anyway, the name's Neptune! You look like you're kinda lost, so I'm here to help you out!"
Again, the girl tilted her head to the opposite side and blinked twice.
"You mute or something?" asked Neptune while studying the pale girl. She was caught off guard when the girl suddenly raised her hand as if asking the CPU to take it.
"Rock," said the girl while Neptune stared at the gesture with an odd expression. A few seconds later, she took it and slowly shook it.
"It's…nice to meet 'cha Rock!" responded the CPU with a nervous chuckle only to have the smile wiped off her face when she heard a growl somewhere. Acting fast, she immediately prepared herself for battle by raising her fists, only to find nothing around them. A growl sounded once more, and her attention was turned to Rock clutching her stomach.
"Umm, you hungry?" she asked to which the strange girl nodded.
"Yes," replied Rock.
The two new acquaintances now sat within a fancy café where they were both serve cakes and muffins. While Neptune dug in, throwing decency out of the window and wolfing down her food since she was Goddess, the girl named Rock only stared at her as if she were an interesting ball game. She watched as muffin after muffin disappeared into the shapely girl's mouth like a bottomless vacuum.
It was only when she turned her attention to her food and place it on her mouth did she realize how hungry she felt.
Before attacking another group of muffins, Neptune actually took the time to know more about this mysterious girl, "So, where you come from Rocky? You don't like you're from around these parts."
"Foreigner," replied the pale girl as if she had said it a thousand times. Neptune being Neptune didn't seem to notice it and immediately lit up.
"What!?" she exclaimed, just barely keeping her excitement in check. "Then you must've come from a different Landmass! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, that's why you're lost!"
Rock blinked at her in confusion with an expression that said, Is that really something you should be happy about?
"You know what that means?" asked Neptune, dangerously leaning forward causing her to expose her cleavage. A flash of annoyance crossed Rock's face yet the CPU didn't seem to notice this. "That means I can tour you around the city and show you all of the cool places!"
Her face adopting a more neutral expression, the paler girl placed a gloved finger upon the Goddess's forehead and pushed her away. Seeing that bright and enthusiastic face on the purple head made Rock's stomach squirm, it was cheery enough to make her sick a bit yet she held it back.
Instead, she replied, "Okay. I'll go."
"Alright!" yelled Neptune, pumping her fist into the air. She grabbed Rock by the arm just as she was about to take a bite out of her muffin, "Come on! I'll take you to the shops, there's bound to be an outfit that's going to make you look fabulous!"
Sighing as she resigned to her fate, Rock looked longingly at her untouched food as she was dragged by this weird, naïve, yet curvaceous purple headed woman she just met to God-knows-where. The fashion accessory which coiled itself on her right arm twitched a bit. Something told Rock that she was in for a lecture later on.
"Well, what the heck are you doing?"
Rock refused to reply and merely stared at… the thing in front of her.
"Oi, don't give me that look. We're wasting time here! We need to find the stagnated soul instead of shopping and gaming!"
Rock hardened her gaze in defiance to the… thing's words.
"Seriously, what is up with you?" hissed Ron as he bobbed up and down in the air.
The pale blue eyed girl was leaning with her back against a wall within an alley, apparently waiting for Neptune to come back from running a few errands. The Goddess told her to wait somewhere while she went to the stores and asked around for her sister's whereabouts. She was worried that Rock would get lost if left alone so she proposed that they'll meet up at the fountain area after thirty minutes. Hence the current situation with Rock's one and only partner, the shape shifting snake-like entity, Ron.
"Rock! Hey are you even listening?!" yelled the black snake with no eyes. Ron then proceeded to scratch his head with his tail, "I just don't get it with 'cha. You weren't always like this you know? Are you getting soft or what? Hey, look at me when I'm speaking to you!"
Looking to her far right, Rock pretended not to hear anything. It was times like this when she just wished for him to shut up. Although, she was forced to pay attention when he whipped her ankle with his tail, making her very irritated.
THUD
Now she was annoyed. The snake actually dared to knock her down by yanking her foot, causing her to fall flat on the floor.
"Alright, you've been acting weird lately and I'm not about to let you daydream on your job," growled Ron as he jabbed the end of his tail on Rock's forehead, "You need to know what we're here for! We have to stay alert! We don't know if that accursed soul will show up sooner or later. You freaking get me, partner?!"
The girl merely gave him a look of disgust and shoved him off her.
"Gah, whatever…" sighed the snake, "Look. Is this about what that Hanako girl said? Or about that stagnant soul Cecil? Listen here Rock, we can't have you getting distracted with whatever you're thinking. One wrong move and we're good as dead. So why don't you just become a good Shooter and go search for that soul with me, sounds good?"
"No," replied Rock in a quiet tone.
"Dammit! You know what? You're impossible," relented Ron, "Sure go ahead, play with that weird girl you've picked up. I don't care. Just don't come crying to me after you realize she's just another freaking illusion of this place."
The Black Star raised an eyebrow on his words. Probably in confusion. If Ron had a face, he might had a smug expression as he nodded.
"Yeah, yeah. It's possible that Neptune girl's just another illusion like that Ret boy and Io girl," he then flew his way towards Rock, circling her, "There's the possibility that she might end up like those two, so don't get your hopes up too much."
Rock stiffened at mention of those names. Ret and Io were victims of a serial killer's stagnated soul, forced to live the last days of their lives just to be killed over and over again. She glared at Ron with old eyes as she said, "Don't….Remind me."
"Heh, just saying," replied the snake sheepishly, "So where do you think that soul is? This place is pretty big and…futuristic. Wonder where we'll start."
"Neptune," muttered the girl.
At first Ron tilted his head in confusion before opening his jaw in realization, "Rock! You sneaky genius! That girl just announced that she'll give us a tour, maybe she'll show us the way around and meet the soul on our way!"
"Captain Obvious."
"Shut up," snapped Ron before returning to his sinister chuckling, "He he, sounds like a plan to me."
The girl then paced her way towards the exit of the alley. She poked her head out and found that Neptune hasn't returned yet. Walking back to Ron, she leaned back against the wall with a heavy sigh. Maybe she was going soft. Back in her earlier days as a Black Shooter she didn't care what she thought of souls, she just reaped them and handed back to HQ without a word or complaint. But then, as she gazed through the illusion made by the stagnated soul and into the greenish sky, she started to look back on her actions and on the souls which she had encountered.
One thing that was for sure; deep inside, they were all sad. She didn't show it, but they were like her in a way.
So much sadness just waiting to burst, yet she didn't know why. Something inside her just didn't feel right. This had to stop, one way or another.
"Gah! Help, Rock!"
She jerked her attention at her partner, squirming around to break free from a certain purple head's grip.
"Gotcha! Whoa, what kind of robot is this?"asked Neptune as she held Ron's neck and tail, gently pulling them, "It's kinda cute! Hey, Rocky where'd you buy this snake?"
"Oi! Who the hell are you calling a snake, helium head!" snapped the snake before beginning to choke, "R-Rock, h-he-help m-me!"
Rock stared at the scene before her with confusion for a moment before turning into mild horror at her partner's groans and yelps. A few seconds later, Neptune revealed a very irritated Ron tied up like a balloon animal.
"Ta da! Do you like it?" asked Neptune with a bright smile, "It's a giraffe!"
"Har har, very funny," said the snake, his voice dripping with sarcasm, being turned into a lasso courtesy by Rock. "Stop it! I'm getting dizzy, WHA—"
The two girls then began to walk away, ignoring the pained groans of Ron within the garbage can.
Rock had the experience of the world coming to her for the souls she fought always brought a piece of it in their memories. But what she was seeing now was just beyond anything she had encountered before. She was with the strange girl named Neptune, climbing hundreds of feet into the air within a glass elevator, gazing at the breathtaking view of a magnificent and thriving metropolis. Placing a hand against the glass, she looked back at the girl behind her before gazing down low.
Neptune giggled as she noticed the look of unease on the pale girl's face.
The CPU sighed inwardly. During her journey to the store, she tried everything she had just to find her sister. She asked the Silhouettes yet they continued to ignore her, she went to a Chirper station yet for some reason there was no signal. No one paid her any attention and she found it hard contacting her friends since she had no means of communicating with them from afar. Neptune was in a pickle.
Today was sure a weird day. By now she had gotten used to her HDD form's body and was able to move around more comfortably (the first fifteen minutes she wore her dress were a pain since there was this unholy itch on her back). She noted that her long hair was much better off in their braids, however due to the circumstances; they flowed elegantly on her back. Another weird thing she noticed was that she managed to retain her 'old personality' despite being in her current form.
She mentally bonked her head as more and more questions began to pile up.
Neptune suddenly felt dizzy for a moment, weird images popped up within her vision before fading away. She looked up to see the expressionless gaze Rock gave her, it seemed like the girl had caught her before she fell.
"You okay, girly?" inquired Ron from Rock's arm.
"Y-yeah. Okay as a good morning on Tuesday!" Neptune forced a smile on her face as the paler girl helped her up to her feet.
"Right, so… You mind telling us more about this place?" requested the coiled snake on the Black Star's arm, "We are foreigners after all."
"Ah, right," replied Neptune as she sheepishly scratched her head, "This city is the Capital of Planeptune, one of the four Landmasses within Gamindustri."
"Gamindustri? Sorry, never heard of it," Ron bluntly said, earning him a flick on the head from Rock. "What's the big idea?!"
"You…Don't know about Gamindustri?" repeated the Goddess in awe, "You don't know anything at all?"
This time, it was Rock who answered, "Nothing at all…"
The purple head's eyes lit up, "Ahh! Then this is just great!"
"What are you talking about?" said Ron as if Neptune had lost her marbles.
"I know this kind of plot!" she pointed a dramatic finger at the girl before her, "This is similar to my story! You see I was an amnesiac once upon a time before I found out I was a Goddess!"
"Amnesiac? Goddess? Sorry, you've lost me there," Ron scratched his head with his tail while Rock seemed to be deep in thought.
"You're a… Goddess?" she asked, looking at Neptune with the same neutral expression. The CPU nodded her head vigorously in response.
"Yup! I'm this Landmass' one and only Purple Heart!" declared Neptune while striking a pose, her bust bouncing a bit which caused a drip of warm blood to come out of his non-existent nose. Rock took a handkerchief out of nowhere and shoved it into Ron's face. He could've sworn he felt a killing intent right then and there.
"So…" he began while wiping his nose, "What does a Goddess do? Or what the heck were you doing out in public for that matter? Isn't that a bit dangerous?"
The elevator's bell rang and the party stepped out into an open area high above the tallest building Planeptune had to offer. Neptune touched her hair while staring at the sky, only turning around with a smile to answer Ron's question.
"I was looking for my sister, Nepgear!" she answered cheerfully. Opening her eyes, she stared at the floor with an awkward look as she twiddled her thumbs nervously, "You see, well… Uhhh… How do I say this… Something happened this morning."
The snake turned his gaze away from the scenery and gazed at the CPU, "Really? Anything weird?"
"Of course there was something weird!" she exclaimed, "I always slept in my human form, but for some weird Hilly Billy reason, a weird glitch modded my body and turned me into my CPU form!"
Ron shared a glance with Rock who shrugged. He then continued while scratching his head, "Sorry, we ain't genre savvy. You mind explaining what in the world a CPU and a glitch is?"
Pouting a bit, Neptune held her hands on her hips while saying, "Fine. A CPU stands for Console Patron Unit, better known as Goddesses! We CPUs are the sole protectors of our Landmasses, Lowee, Lastation, Leanbox, and this place; Planeptune with me being its Goddess! So aside from fighting crime and stopping evil, we get to do some things that a Goddess only gets to do. Still, it's pretty boring so I go around and play at the arcade all the time. Pretty fun life if you ask me."
"Fun?" muttered Rock while Ron clicked his tongue.
"Such a dedicated leader you are," he said with the same amount of sarcasm. "So who does all the work while you relax?"
"My sister of course!"
"No wonder she left— OUCH! WHAT THE HELL, ROCK!?"
"Rude…"
Neptune giggled at the two strangers' bickering. It reminded her of Blanc and Vert that is if Vert was quiet and stoic and if Blanc limited her use of profanities.
"Alright, alright back to the topic at hand," said Ron while turning his attention back at the Goddess, "You know anything that might've… I dunno, caused your transformation? Did you eat something expired or something a turned you the way you are?"
"I don't know… For some reason I can't remember what I ate last night," answered the purple head, placing her elbow on her left hand while resting her head on her fist, "There's also this problem that I can't turn back into my human form."
"Stuck?" guessed the paler girl as she leaned against the railings.
"Yeah! I'm stuck! I can't transform back no matter how hard I try," said Neptune, her shoulders in a slump. She knew staying in this form forever will be no fun at all. She missed her old body already; it got her to wear cuter dresses than what her HDD had to offer. Besides, she liked it when people liked her as Neptune, not as Purple Heart. She didn't show it, but she was kind of annoyed of people worshiping her blindly its almost creepy.
The CPU sighed.
It's probably a Goddess thing that Histoire always prattled about. Ever since she lost her memory and regained it back, it took some time for her to get used to things again. Going to conferences, doing Goddess duties, helping the Landmass improve and keeping things stable with the other Landmasses. She had Nepgear to thank for keeping things up to date. Maybe she should appreciate her sister's work some more rather than goofing around.
Now that she thought of it, she was reminded by a saying Compa always told her during their adventures: You don't know how important something is until you lost it.
For a moment, the Goddess' eyes widened in shock as nausea threatened to engulf her. Rock quickly came to her side to keep her steady while Ron hovered next to her.
"Hey! That's the second time already. You sure you're okay?" asked Ron, this time his tone colored with genuine concern.
"Y-yes…" lied Neptune, inhaling a shaky breath. She looked up at Rock's face and said, "Why don't we continue with the tour? I did promise that I'll take you around the city."
Rock and Ron looked at each other for a moment before the former said, "Okay."
Nepgear… Why were you covered in blood?
Rock was in awe as she walked through the city, however she didn't show it. As Neptune explained all throughout the trip, Planeptune was better known as the Land of Purple Progress, one of the most advanced Landmass in Gamindustri. It did not disappoint as she saw countless of gizmos and gadgets propped up inside shops ranging from deadly laser swords to mundane items given a new look like frying pans. Sometimes she wondered if she was still in the Threshold given how otherworldly this illusion seemed to be. She glanced at Ron who seemed to be sharing the same idea.
They were now boarding a train which will take them to the Central City, hopefully finding Neptune's sister along the way. Rock gazed at the elegant silver domes and glass buildings as they passed by. She stared at the moving streets and found no dirt whatsoever, as if the whole city was free of dirt and taint. The Black Star had seen her fair share of illusions however this was all too much to take in. Again, she did not show it and maintained her neutral expression.
"There are many floating islands surrounding the Landmass. Many of them having an awesome view of the City at night," chirped Neptune as she directed Rock's attention towards the pieces of land among the clouds, "Sadly, I can't take you out to see it since Nep Jr.'s still missing."
"Nah, its okay kid. My partner here seems to be enjoying herself," said Ron, jabbing his tail at the pale girl pressing her face against the glass.
"Um, anyway!" began the CPU to continue her explanation, "There's a lot of cool stuff at the Central. Especially at night. You can see the whole city glow purple like a big shining jellybean!"
"That's an interesting analogy," replied Ron with an understanding nod. "Say, what's that big island above us? Another Landmass?"
Neptune pressed her own face against the glass and looked up, "Ah, that's Celestia, that's my home. It's where I and the other three Goddesses live along with the Goddess candidates."
"Wait, wait, wait, so you don't live in this place? I Thought this was your Landmass?" asked the snake in confusion.
"Well I don't get it very much, but the four major Landmasses (Planeptune included) are known as the World Below by us there in Celestia," answered Neptune with a smug expression. "There was this one time when this mean witch named Arfoire kicked us out and forced us to live here on our respective Landmasses. Problem with me though, that's the time I lost my memory."
"So you regained your memory and fought her…" muttered Rock as she turned towards Neptune.
Her partner released a sigh and said, "Seriously, can't you stop stating the obvious? Of course she regained her memory and fought back!"
'Yup that's right! Histy told me to go on this epic fetch quest to nab the four key fragments from the Landmasses," explained the CPU, sitting down on her chair, "It was the only way we could open a path to Celestia and give Arfoire a piece of our mind! Buuuuuut that was a long, long time ago."
Rock blinked a couple of times before turning her attention back at the scenery.
A bell rang somewhere which indicated that they had arrived at their destination. Exiting the train, Rock found herself within a deep blue station which seemed deserted at a first glance. She wouldn't have thought that there were people around her if not for the Silhouettes that crowded around. Neptune still hasn't come out yet so Ron took the chance to hover at his partner's side.
"What's on your mind?" he asked, looking up to her unreadable face.
"Memories…" was Rock's simple reply before the Goddess burst out of the crowd looking exhausted.
And so the tour continued with Neptune introducing the quiet girl to the noisy arcade. The interior of the place was a deep shade of purple with blue lights glowing upon the walls similar to that of the stars. There were a lot of games to choose from; fighting games, shooters, ring tossing, 4D movie rides, Virtual Warriors, vintage games, crane games and a whole lot more. The CPU took Rock's hand and pulled her into a fighting game. The Black Star being a stranger to this world, and a complete foreigner to videogames promptly lost the first two matches.
However after Ron's quick crash course on how the game worked, Rock began to fight back and win against the purple Goddess. The game ended with the characters of both girls punched each other at the same time, resulting into a draw.
And there it was. Ron only saw it once during their fight with the stagnant soul Cecil, however here it was again; Rock's smile.
He watched as the girls ventured into another game, leaving behind. If he had a face his expression would be akin to that of a bemused one. Stretching his spine, he decided that staying at one place would do his body good. He had been moving around too much, "I guess I'll let her have her fun…"
The two girls too their time in playing crane games and shooters. Both of them were actually good marksmen, gaining the highest scores in the game. Neptune won Rock a pretty dress by trading in their tickets, the former forcing the latter to the changing rooms. Soon, the pale girl now wore a bright purple blouse with long sleeves accompanied by a dark violet skirt and black leggings. Her hair was now tied into a braid that reached unto her back.
The Goddess placed Rock in front of a mirror and said, "Well, what' cha think? It goes nicely with your eyes! Like mine!"
The paler girl stared at her for a second before saying, "Thank….you."
"No problem!" replied Neptune before pulling Rock into someplace else again. She felt this weird sensation within herself, it was like those times. Those previous missions, the stagnant souls. She looked at the smiling beauty before her and felt her stomach grow heavier.
Rock felt bad.
She was then wrenched out of her trance as the CPU came to a halt. They were now in front of a large circular pool, silver tubes poking out of the water's surface. It was clear, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds in the heavens. Rock approached it and spotted tiny glints beneath the water, they were coins. Bronze and silver coins staring back at her. The Black Star then recalled a past memory; it was once said that throwing coins into fountains or wells could grant one's wish.
She entertained the thought for a moment; she had never made a wish before. Not that there was anything to wish for.
A hand patted her shoulder, which caused her to immediately turn around. She found Neptune offering her a couple of coins, gesturing her to toss them over the water. With a nod of acknowledgement, she took the coins and closed her eyes. Rock saw all of the souls which she was forced to capture. She wanted the bad feeling to go away, that emotion which she hated.
And so she made her wish, tossing the coin into the fountain.
The Black Star glanced at the Goddess beside her who did the same. A few seconds after Neptune threw in her two cents, the fountain burst into life. A torrent of water shot high up in the air, the ones at the side forming an arc. Six more torrents were unleashed, all forming a circular pattern following the shape of the pool. The next moment, the waters died down only to shoot small jets flying in synch with each other.
The spectacle was impressive if one were to continue watching it.
"Ahhh! What a day!" commented Neptune as she leaned against the side of the pool.
Rock tilted her head and gave the Goddess a questioning look.
"It sure was fun! Although it should be more fun if Nepgear were here, she would've loved to meet you!" she said with her ever present smile. The Black Star merely looked away with a sad expression, avoiding the CPU's eyes. That smile… A girl once told Rock: Did you know? That if you forced yourself to smile even when you're feeling down, that contagious feeling will overpower your heart. That's why I'm always smiling and being warm to others.
"Hey is something wrong?" asked the Goddess as she noticed the paler girl clenching her hands into a fist. She could see that Rock was upset for some reason.
"You're the same…" she replied in the same quiet voice, "You smile even when you're sad. You must… be a really kind person…"
"Ehhh? R-Rock?"
Why… Why can't I bring myself to break that smile? She thought through gritted teeth. With a sigh, she finally reached her decision, the pieces were together now, "Neptune. What was the last thing you remember last night?"
That did it. The CPU's eyes widened as the sick feeling overcame her once more, this time, Rock didn't catch her. She watched as Neptune collapse on the ground clutching her head with wide eyes. The Goddess started to see things again, without Rock to stop it, she was forced to watch the images, the images of her friends dying. That's when everything began to click into place.
Wh-what's happening!? She mentally screamed, What's going on!? Why? N-N-Noire? U-Uni? They're bleeding! What, NO!
"R-R-Rock, help them, help them please!" pleaded Neptune as the scenery began to change. Gone were the majestic buildings and glassed domes. The sky turned gray while the landscape turned into a wide green plain. The shops were quickly replaced with trees and an empty horizon. Soon, the clear white floor the girls stood on was replaced by dirt, soil, and blood.
Three people came into existence as all of this happened. Two of them were heavily injured, while the third was hovering just beside Neptune. The girl beside the Goddess seemed to be shorter and had longer hair which was dyed pink. She had the same blue eyes as the CPU, hovering upright with a look of pain mixed with guilt and determination. She wore a rather revealing white bodysuit-like outfit which connected around her neck with similar gloves and boot pieces.
One of the injured girls the opposite of them were struggling to get up, while the other lay on her back with a sword imbedded on her stomach. Suffice to say that the one who was still struggling had her hair in a ringlet fashion at the sides of her snow white head. Her body filled with mud and dirt as well as her own blood while she pushed with all herself off the ground with all her strength.
The girl who had the sword on her stomach merely stared at the gray sky as it started to rain. Her breathing was shallow, barely having the strength to move any part of her body. If one were to compare the white haired girls, it was easily enough to guess that they were siblings, much like Neptune and the other girl beside her.
Finally, Planeptune's Goddess found her voice and said, "N-Nepgear? What's… What's happening? Why are Uni and Noire… Oh no… NOIRE!"
Same as last time with the Silhouettes, no one paid her any attention. She simply sat there, staring in horror as she watched her sister, her own dear sweet sister approach the Goddess of Lastation and sister with a grim expression. With one fluid movement, Nepgear drew the purple sword from the unmoving Noire's body.
"I'm sorry…" Nepgear gazed into Lastation's candidate with solemn eyes, tears running down her cheeks.
"W-Wh- *hic* What are you saying?" growled Uni between sobs, "D-Don't be like t-t-that. It's embarrassing… Knowing that *hic* we… were beaten by a crybaby like you."
Neptune slowly rose to her feet, "Stop. Stop it!"
Uni smiled, "Do it."
"NO!"
Thunder boomed overhead as a large wound opened upon the Black Sister's stomach. Her body never hit the ground for it suddenly turned into white light and absorbed into the purple sword. The same way happened to Noire's fading body.
"Promise…Us… That you'll save…this world," she whispered before disappearing completely.
"Ah…Ah….AAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHH!"
At Neptune's scream, the scenery began to change. Everything was coated in white and the land around was barren save for a few dead trees. The CPU sobbed pathetically on the snow, her hot tears melting the ice. Rock ran towards her but was pushed away by an invisible force. Letting out a pained groan, the Black Star resumed her approach only to meet the same results.
"Try… And remember…. Stop running!" she yelled at the sobbing Goddess.
A gale blew by and from the white smoke appeared five individuals. Two Rock recognized as Neptune and Nepgear, fighting side by side against three opponents. A fireball flew ahead while another gale soon followed it. The sound of steel against steel echoed throughout the landscape.
"Kyaa!"
"Ram!"
Rock turned her attention towards the voice as she heard the name. However instead of finding the woman she had met in the past, she caught the sight of a two little girls in blue and pink winter coats helping each other up. A third girl limping towards them obviously hurt. This one seemed to be the eldest of them, wearing a lightly burnt white jacked with brown fur while clutching what seemed to be a hat on her hand.
She got in front of the two girls, panting and breathing hard. She seemed to be the eldest of the three.
"N-N-No…This can't be happening," wept Neptune, refusing to look at the scene. Rock didn't dare go near her in fear of being blasted away again. Instead she settle to watching the terrifying show. She watched as Neptune take the sword from her sister's hand after a brief exchange with the girl in white. Wincing at sound of blade meeting flesh, Rock looked away for a moment. She had seen things worse than this and yet why was she looking away now.
Gritting her teeth, she broke into a run. She reached out with her hand to stop the falling blade from killing the twins. Just before they were about to die, Rock caught the sight of the two young girls smiling. Rock never got there.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!"
"Tch," she turned her attention back at Neptune as the landscape turned into something else once more. There were more people this time. A girl with light pink hair in a sweater was working vigorously on healing an injured woman in green's wound. Another girl with brown hair and blue overalls was watching the scene with a grimace and tears falling down her cheeks while clutching another girl with blue hair. The one with blue hair seemed to be comforting the one in brown, though it was no use.
A strange girl in a white hoodie knelt beside the injured woman, from the way she acted, Rock presumed that this was Neptune and that the girl with the sword was Nepgear. The Neptune in her Goddess form was still crying at the side as the scene unfolded. Apparently this memory seemed to be the most painful for her to watch.
"Neptune," muttered Rock.
"What's happening?! I-I don't get it at all! Why am I watching all of this?! Vert didn't have to die, no one had to!" sobbed the CPU as the woman in green, Vert she was called, requested to die by the purple Goddess' hand. A last noble act for the sake of the world she so ever loved.
The sword fell once more and the scenery changed for the final time.
They were back at the fountain area of Planeptune; only difference was that the entire city was deserted. Not a single soul was left walking around save for the two girls. Rock went towards Neptune once more, this time no invisible force knocked her back. She lowered herself at the crying Goddess and hugged her. Neptune didn't resist and continued crying her heart out. Pouring every bit of her emotion out of her system, she wailed and wailed as the memories of her friends' deaths filled her mind.
How could she have forgotten? Were they so cheap that she could forget them so easily? Snuff them out her life and continue living on?
It was painful, so painful that it was like being stabbed by a cold, rusted nail right through the heart over and over without having to die. She regretted it, but it had to be done. Even if she didn't want to kill them, even if she wanted to leave them be, she couldn't. If she did, then all of Gamindustri would fall, collapse, and disappear. She hated it, she hated herself. She became the very person she despised.
Neptune sniffled as she drew away from Rock and uttered a teary laugh, "L-L-Look at me. Crying l-like an idiot.*sniff* You know what happened after then? After Vert gave her life to us?"
"You… ran," replied Rock , her face void of any emotion.
"Yes," confirmed the Goddess, "After then I asked my sister, Nepgear, to come with into a forest. I…In my mind I was planning to kill her. Thinking she would understand. My dear, sweet, Nep Jr. I…I was going to kill her. But then, I realized that I was wrong. I wasn't going to be the heroine that's going to save the world. I… Didn't want to be the heroine…"
She paused for a moment before continuing," So… I *sniff* took the easy way out and asked my sister… to take the sword, and kill me."
"You ran away from your problems and dumped them on your sister," said a familiar voice which drew nearer and nearer, "If only I had hands I'd give you a congratulatory pat on the back for literally screwing things up from square one, genius."
"Ron!" snapped Rock at her partner.
"It's the truth, damn it!" countered the snake, "She's the freaking stagnant soul!"
All was silent after Ron's revelation. However the most surprised and confused by this, was Neptune. She sent a fearful look towards Rock who merely glared at her tactless partner with irritation mixed with disappointment.
"S-stagnant Soul?" The Goddess asked warily.
"Yeah, you're a stagnant soul. A soul trapped between Heaven and Earth, unable to pass on because of your regrets," explained Ron as he glided down, "You, Lady Neptune, Goddess of the Land of Purple Progress; Planeptune have your regrets anchoring you down to this world. During your death you refused to believe everything that has happened, thinking that all of the deaths, blood, and fear were nothing more than a queer nightmare. You and your simple one track mind of a child forced yourself to believe a lie, a lie that became the truth the longer you believed in it."
"Ron, stop," ordered Rock yet the snake only went on.
"Have you ever wondered why you can't turn back into your 'human' form? Or why people always ignored you? Why you can't contact anyone with your phone?" Ron flew towards Neptune and stopped a few inches away from her face, "It's because you're already dead, and you refuse to believe it, sistah! Gak!"
The snake's rant came to a halt as Rock grabbed him by his neck.
"I'm... dead.. yes, I know that…" whispered Neptune in a uncharacteristically quiet tone, "Everything I knew since this morning… Was a lie. Tell me, Rock… Ron… What else do I have to know? Why are you here? Are you the grim reaper?"
Rock let go of her partner and dropped him on the ground, giving him the chance to continue his explanation, "Fine *cough cough* I guess we owe you an explanation. Not many souls ask us of our job. Me and Rock are part of an organization that handles the capture and purification of stagnant souls. Girls who brave the field in order to subdue souls are known as Black Stars. Rock here is one of them."
"Purification? What…" Neptune faltered on what she was about say.
"Yeah, you'll go to Heaven once you are purified. The only things that live in this world of constant warfare of the Threshold are souls like you," Ron jabbed his tail towards Neptune before jerking his head to Rock, "And Stars like Rock. Still, there's something… I don't know… weird about you. Souls of Beasts are rare, though I have no idea about the souls of Goddesses. Judging by the look of the illusion you created earlier, you're not exactly from Earth aren't you?"
"E-Earth, what's that?"
"Exactly," chuckled Ron to which Rock sent him another hard glare, "You're a Goddess and are from a completely different world, or so I assume, this is probably a first for the Threshold."
"Ron… You're not helping," muttered Rock.
"Hey, I'm trying to make her understand before we go get her," argued the snake, "At least she won't go without knowing, it's the least we can do!"
"But!"
"No, it's okay…" said Neptune as she stood up, wiping her tears from her eyes, "I understand. My burden and guilt got me here, it's my fault…"
"Neptune," Rock gritted her teeth in frustration.
Ron on the other hand kept his casual demeanor about him despite the situation, "Alright, So why don't you be a good girl and come with us. We'll take care of everything by then."
"No…" an unseen forced threw Rock and Ron backwards, causing them to land on the ground hard. Neptune's eye were shining a bright shade of blue, her clothes transforming into a tight fitting black body suit while her purple hair was tied into twin tailed braids. Two circular hair ornaments sat on top of her head while her boots and gloves were the same color scheme as her suit. Two CD-like butterfly wings hovered on her back as she held on her right hand a slender black katana.
"I had no choice, it was all for the good of Gamindustri that I did those things!" she defended herself while summoning her Goddess powers, "It was all necessary! We couldn't beat Arfoire with our own power, so we had no choice! Everyone… I had to make sure that their sacrifices weren't in vain, what part of that can't you understand?!"
A ring of raw purple power exploded outwards, forcing Rock to jump over it.
"But that doesn't mean you shouldn't find another way!" yelled Ron, "You should've fought, fought to your last breath with your friends! If you really cared for that world, if you really wanted to be the god damn heroine, then you should've worked hard to become strong, strong enough to protect those you cherish most!"
Another burst of power. The wind roared past Rock's ears as she dodged.
"But what did you do?!" continued Ron, his voice getting angrier and angrier, "YOU RAN, THAT'S WHAT YOU DID! LEFT THE WORLD FOR DEAD IN THE HANDS OF YOUR SISTER YOU ABANDONED!"
"Shut up!" Neptune screamed as the next burst broke all of the glass of the surrounding buildings. "What do you know?!"
"Tch, that's what they all say. Rock get ready," Ron looked at his partner in confusion, "Hey, Rock? You okay?"
The paler girl continued to gaze at the Goddess with a face devoid of emotion, however Ron knew better than that. He knew that inside of her was a raging flame ready to purge anything in its path. It was determination, her will to put the CPU out of her misery. She took a step forward, her left eye unleashing a cobalt blue flame as her clothes reverted back to her normal ones in flash of blue.
"So this is what it feels like," she whispered, staring at the Goddess' raw power, "Despair… The feeling of hopelessness."
Rock grabbed Ron by his tail, yelping as he transformed himself into a sword, "I hate it…"
Neptune pointed her own sword towards Rock, "I won't… fail them…Say, Rock… If you give me an interesting boss fight and I lose… I'll go with you quietly."
"I don't want to fight you," replied the Black Star, hefting up her Black Blade.
"What are you saying, dummy?" giggled the Goddess with a smile, "It's your job. No one but you can do it. Please, I want you to make this the best fight ever. I'll… be very disappointed if you die too fast. So fight, fight me with the best of your ability!"
"Enough talk then, let's go!" yelled Ron as Rock dashed towards Neptune, slashing down on her foe.
The Goddess parried the Black Star's strike and followed with a slash of her own. Her opponent dashed just out of her sword's reach and transformed her own weapon into what looked like a cannon. Wind tore through the air on her left as the bullet barely missed her face. Neptune charged at Rock, sword raised, striking not once but three times as the pale girl blocked with her cannon. The Black Star dislodged herself from the CPU and spun around, forcing Neptune to jump away.
Rock used that moment to shoot the Goddess down but was mildly surprised as all of her bullets were slashed apart with ease. She kept firing her cannon relentlessly yet it seemed like her opponent was as just as skillful as she was, either evading the bullets by the last second or cutting them up. Neptune jammed her sword unto the floor, unleashing a purple burst of power which tossed Rock off her feet.
"You're not going to beat that way!" she shouted as she yanked her sword out.
The flame eyed girl tumbled along the street before coming to a halt. Her body shook as she struggled to lift herself up again. She picked up her cannon and aimed at the Goddess once more. Neptune, knowing what was going to happen next, dashed forward for the kill while preparing herself to dodge. She was caught off guard when Rock pointed her cannon downwards, using the recoil to jump high into air. The CPU missed and only managed to cut a street light in half. A tap behind her sprang her internal alarm, causing her to strike and parry alternately against Rock's attacks.
The two crossed blades, hacking, slashing, stabbing and lunging. The pavement in which the stood was soon filled with cuts and blade marks.
The Black Star blocked the CPU's sword strike yet did not see the stray kick sent to her stomach. Rock doubled over, giving Neptune the chance to barrage her with thrusts and slashes. She continued her assault as her foe helplessly blocked her attacks. She used her brute strength to knock the Black Star into the air, following suit with a jump before slamming Rock into the ground with an axe kick.
"Ugh," groaned the fallen girl as she picked up her sword.
"Get up! You need to fight back!" yelled Ron.
Neptune landed just a few feet away from her, walking confidently before sending a might swing of her sword. Rock raised her own weapon in defense; however the sheer power of the Goddess was too much for her to take, sending her fly once more.
"Pull yourself together, dammit!" cursed her partner as she struggled to regain her vision, "Here she comes!"
She ran towards the speeding Goddess and kicked off the ground; landing just behind the CPU's back and attacking. She followed with a couple of horizontal slashes before locking swords with Neptune once more. Rock's flame burned with renewed intensity as she delivered a kick to her opponent's stomach, spinning low to avoid the counter attack while sending her own. A cut appeared upon Neptune's side as the Black Star moved away.
The Goddess gritted her and summoned her gun, firing at the dashing girl before her as she too moved.
"Ron!" shouted Rock, causing her sword to transform into a cannon and unleash a barrage of blue bullets.
The city turned into a warzone at that instant.
Despite their small size, Neptune's bullets caused craters to decorate the ground as if hit by a dump truck. Rock retaliated with her Cannon; however it seemed that despite her higher advantage with power, she didn't have the Goddess' maneuverability with her weapon. Still didn't save the buildings from collapsing because of her shots.
"Rock, get to higher ground, we'll snipe her from there," ordered Ron as he fired off more bullets, "Keep her busy before you jump though, wouldn't want her to know what we're planning."
"Understood," replied Rock, skidding to a halt before charging her cannon.
Neptune never saw it coming, though she was fortunate enough to dive to the side. A shining blue bullet tore through the air, destroying the road with it shockwave. She quickly recovered and fired her own gun at the spot where Rock was, however once the smoke cleared, her opponent was no longer there.
"Ah!" Neptune shielded herself as the area around her began to explode. With the smoke and shrapnel shooting around, she couldn't pinpoint the location of her opponent amidst the confusion.
BOOM
BOOM
That is until she located the source of the noise. Neptune hid her gun away and tightened her grip on her sword. She kicked the ground once and shot into the air. Rock fired one bullet after the other, only to cease her actions and retreat backwards. She watched as the Goddess obliterated the platform she was standing on with sword in hand. Neptune closed in her foe and slashed while the Black Star settled for blocking with her cannon.
Rock pushed the CPU away and fired a shot, causing the Goddess to block instinctively. Bad move.
The rooftop in which they were fighting in exploded, taking a huge chunk of the floor. The two combatants were now engage in an aerial sword fight, steel clashing against steel in their struggle for dominance. The flame eyed girl was the first to retreat, sliding down the glass windows while using the chance to fire her newly transformed cannon. Neptune seemed to have similar ideas and unleashed her bullets.
Seeing that she was falling too fast, the Black Star aimed her cannon against the window and fired, using the recoil to travel down to the street below. She rolled as she landed and continued her assault against the Goddess.
"Damn, she just won't stay down, won't she?" commented Ron.
"She's a Goddess, she's different," replied Rock with the same neutral expression.
Soon enough, the CPU walked out of the smoke while deflecting and cutting down any bullets aimed at her. She slashed diagonally on an oncoming bullet and drove her sword on the pavement, causing a small purple explosion to burst forth. Rock covered her eyes with her arms from the blinding light.
"I'll show you my true power," said Neptune's voice from within the light.
"Uh, that doesn't sound good," growled Ron as he and Rock struggled to see what was happening. It was only when the light died did they see what happened to Neptune. In the Goddess' place hovered a purple black aircraft of some sort, glowing with an ominous vibe.
"This is getting ridiculous!" yelled the shape shifting snake as Rock turned tail and ran. The aircraft's thrusters roared to life and began to follow the Black Star with frightening speed. It opened two hatches on its front where two turrets poked their heads out, soon firing a continuous stream of purple bullets like a machine gun. Rock ran as far as her otherworldly speed could take her, diving into the pavement as Neptune flew overhead.
"Ron!" shouted Rock and soon her sword transformed into not one, but two black cannons.
She planted her left foot behind her and began firing one charge shot after another. Ducking low as the aircraft passed overhead, Rock continued her assault, running forward to meet with the vehicles own bullets. Just as she was about level with it, she shot both of her cannons to the floor giving her enough lift to land direct on top of the aircraft. Her weapons transforming into the Black Blade, Rock was about to jam her sword on its wing when her world began to spin and she started to fall.
The Black Star crashed into the street, a crater surrounding her.
Shaking off the fall she just received, Rock surveyed the area for her opponent. There was this weird buzzing noise that seemed to cause her heart to beat faster. Whatever it was, it was something bad, very bad.
"Run!" cried her partner, and so she did. She knew better than to question him during battle.
That was when a grand purple laser beam came down from the heavens to destroy the spot where she was standing It didn't seem to stop there so she continued to run for her life, not daring to look back. If she were a normal person she would have been long dead for the beam was moving at the speed of a car. Rock heard the beam's noise pounding against her ears as she forced herself to go faster, sweat running down from her brow down to her chin. With a surge of renewed strength she sprinted towards the street on her right, barely avoid the laser as it passed.
She stared at the destruction it had wrought and sighed in relief. That was way too close for her comfort.
The Black Star suddenly tensed for a moment before swinging her sword around, however a foot soon connected with her side. She looked up to Neptune back in her HDD form, gazing down at her, sword on her throat.
"It's over…" said the CPU, sure of her victory.
"Not yet," grunted Rock as the flame on her eye blazed stronger. She managed to kick the hand holding the sword upward, leaving a light cut on her cheek but she didn't care. She then grabbed her own weapon which transformed into a cannon, immediately charging a shot. Neptune was blown off her feet as the bullet hit her at point blank range.
The Black Star rose to her feet despite her body's protests, urging Ron to revert back into a sword. The Goddess too stood up, breathing hard as she clutched her stomach, though otherwise unhurt. They walked towards each other and swung their swords. Rock moved quick and in one fluid motion, twisted her hand and knocked Neptune's sword out of her grasp. She then placed her own blade upon the CPU's throat.
She stared at the purple head with an unreadable expression before asking, "Why didn't you counter?"
"I… Don't know myself," answered Neptune with a sad chuckle, "I guess. It really won't do any good if I continued fighting."
"Heh, now you're talking sense," commented the sword, "But… Why? You seemed pretty stubborn about not coming with us."
"I did say that I'll go with you if you give me a good boss fight," said the Goddess with a smile, "And boy howdy, that was one worth remembering." She then turned her back towards the Black Star and gazed at the city around her. Rock caught sight of a tear travelling down the CPU's cheek, "None of this is real anyway. It's not like I'll be coming back to life, right? I'm dead, that's there all to it."
"You're right," confirmed Ron, "Nothing goes out of this Crevice. This world was built to house the desires and greed of the souls trapped within. That's the purpose of the Threshold, in a way, it provides one final pleasure for the ones here before they ascend. Then again, this world also houses the darkest of dreams. But you, Lady Purple Heart, you solely wish nothing more than to return home, am I right? That is why this world, this delusion of yours was created in the image of your home. A home where you would be able to relive your past self. However, dear Goddess, just as easily you left your mortal coil, you must learn to leave your own past and move on."
"Guess you hit the nail on the head," Neptune wiped a tear from her eye as she forced herself to smile, "This… This is just silly. I can't be a strong CPU by crying like a baby. I'm just... worried about my sister."
"Well, me and Rock here may not be the best people to talk about these things but…" Ron paused for a moment, "You gotta put some faith on your own blood. Surely your sister wouldn't let you down that easily."
Rock lowered her weapon and approached Neptune. Dropping Ron and wrapping her arms around a surprised Goddess.
"R-Rock!?"
"Trust… her… No need to cry," whispered the Black Star, "Throw away despair…"
She was surprised at first by the girl's actions, but soon returned the hug as tears left her eyes. Neptune's laugh echoed across the deserted streets of Planeptune once more.
The Black Star was now walking along a barren checkered landscape, the wind howling past her ears. She looked up and gazed at the green sky as if searching for something. Her snake-like companion gliding beside her, he then broke the silence between them.
"Well?" he asked, "What do you think of that conclusion?"
"Strange," replied the girl, "She was different… Do you think?"
"Yeah, I can agree with you," said Ron as he nodded, "A first for the Threshold. She wasn't able to ascend in the end."
Rock was silent as she came to a halt. Her companion tilting his head in confusion. Neptune, she was gone now. Disappeared into a far off place never to be seen again.
"Hey don't look so glum," said Ron in an attempt to cheer her up, "You remember my theory, right?"
"Yes," Rock approached a broken log imbedded on the floor and sat on it, "She's… a Goddess. A strange, eccentric Goddess."
"And it's because of that she can't be purified," added Ron, "Goddesses are divine beings, and divine beings in general are pure. Purifying a divine being would just be redundant so that's the reason why she can't be captured. She wasn't a stagnant soul to begin with…"
"That's why… No soul was left behind when she disappeared," said Rock, "I hope… We can meet again."
Ron stared at his partner for a moment before releasing a sigh, "Come on. We've wasted enough time, so this isn't the moment to be slacking off. I'm sure she's back in her world, where she belongs. She was never meant to be here in the first place."
The Black Star continued to stare at the sky.
"Oi, let's get going! Dead's harassing another soul again!" yelled the snake, to which Rock jumped down her seat and follow suit.
"Yeah, let's go."
Nicolas Notes: Greetings to one and all, Hyperdimension Neptunia and Black Rock Shooter fandoms!
First of all, this is my first time writing for both fandoms so please if there were any inconsistencies or mistakes, please forgive me. I'm still a newbie when tested in the knowledge about both franchises.
I really thought long and hard about the plot other than writing a clash fic between Neptune and Rock. Lots of research needed to be done for me to connect the two fandoms. Than go for Conquest Ending and Innocent Soul.
Ah I almost forgot, I took the liberty on rewriting a few things regarding the Conquest End. Lots of liberations. Please excuse me for that, heh. Then again, this fic has spoilers for that ending, woops.
I do hope everyone was in character during this story, well everyone except HDD Neptune since she still has Human Neptune's personality despite being in Goddess mode as pointed out by Illusion Histoire. Gah, man this took a week to write.
I'm entertaining the notion writing a few Neptunia fics, though that may not be for a long time until I finish my Touhou stories. Feel free to check them out (SHAMELESS ADVERTISING ALERT, SHOOT ME NOW BEFORE I GO IN A ROLL)
Again I would like to thank you for taking your time on reading this. All mistakes are my own since I didn't pre-read this to anyone other than myself. Boy, sure hope some kind soul would make a stable Neptunia forum so I can ask people there. The Wiki's not reliable, nope nope.
Read, review, share your thoughts and spread the word. I shall light the fandoms with my talents if I can.
Until next time.
Yahoo~
